Shipping Co. Settles Suit Over Damage Near Fort

Law360, New York (June 29, 2009, 12:00 AM EDT) -- The U.S. and a Russian shipping company have agreed to a $650,000 settlement over an incident where one of the company's freighters loaded with oil and cement ran aground in 1999 and damaged a breakwater that protects a 470-year-old fort on federal parkland near San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The agreement, made public Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, calls for Novorossiysk Shipping Co. to make the payment within 30 days once the settlement is approved by a judge.